Tag: author

This post was written and prepared to be published March 1, 2018. But due to the news I got on this very sad day I was editing and publishing it today.

A few years back I had an extremely hard time in my life. It was a phase where nothing turned out the way it was supposed to be according to my plan.

During this time there were so many of my friends standing by my side; not only my friends and family who had been with me for a long time, nearly all my life but also FB friends. Friends I’ve never met in my life, but only met on FB, on other social media, people I could count on and who became real trustworthy connections in the meantime. (I will get back to them in another post!)

One of these people was Katie Jenkins of Magical Designs. Through Katie, I met another amazing woman: Kelley L. Crandall, a writer, and Marketing Specialist.

They both helped me significantly through this time, were in contact with me nearly daily, supported me and gave me advice, suggestions, help, and encouragement.

Since then, Katie became the Mom of beautiful twins, congratulations, Katie! Of course, she concentrates on her family now. But whenever we’re in contact again, I’m still grateful to know her. She’s such a wonderful person!

When I started feeling better, I had been talking on the phone to Kelley, and we talked and talked like women do sometimes. At one point I told her: “I wish I had an editor for my stories, and I wish so much it could be you.” And wonderful, amazing, gold-hearted Kelley said: “I wish that too!”

That is now how I got my editor. Kelley understood the problems I was fighting with – and she understood me. She searched her way through my work, and she even liked my books, which is, in my opinion, a very important thing. (I mean, how can a person edit something if the story isn’t liked?)

Kelley was patient, encouraging and supportive; she was helpful, humorous and an amazing friend! She became a part of my heart!

Today I got the Information that Kelley has passed away. To say I’m sad would be too mild… I’m heartbroken.

Only last week we chatted and today she is no more.

I am thinking of Kelley’s husband David and her children. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I know, this blog post isn’t particularly long – but today I wanted to thank my friend from the bottom of my heart:

THANK YOU, KELLEY L. CRANDALL!

For everything you did, for your work, your heart, your understanding, and your friendship! You mean a lot to me!

I will never ever forget you, Kelley. You left your love in my Soul. I don’t want to say Goodbye… I want to say: SEE YOU!! You will be sorely missed!!

You might remember that this book was a Kindle Scout candidate and it performed well lasting on the Hot List for 209 of 720 hours or some part of 11 out of 30 days with over 4,000 views.

Here is a blurb about the book:

Intelligence analyst Jake Balrich boards his Monday morning flight, as he has so many times, for routine field work. When the plane lands, a passenger fails to wake up. Jake soon realizes that the death was not accidental and is part of a murderous plot that will have Jake running for his life as he struggles with an unknown enemy that seems to guess his every move.

Blood Match is a thriller that examines the desire for gaining power with little regard for the human lives that are affected.

Hello, my name is Abbie Johnson Taylor, and I live in Sheridan, Wyoming. I was born in New York City in 1961. My family lived in Colorado and Arizona before settling here in 1973. After graduating from college, then completing two years of study and practicum and a six-month internship in music therapy, I worked for fifteen years in that field before becoming a full-time author.

1. When did you start writing?

I started writing in 2000. At the time, I was working, sometimes 40-hour weeks, as a registered music therapist, and it was often hard to find time to write. In 2005 when I married my late husband Bill, he persuaded me to quit my day job and write full time, and I’ve been a full-time author ever since.

2. What motivates you to write?

I’m inspired by current events, personal experiences, and what I observe in the world around me. My first book, We Shall Overcome, was inspired by a demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003. Many of the poems in my second book, How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, were inspired by my experiences as a family caregiver to my late husband. Also, my fourth book, My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, was inspired by those experiences. The title poem in my third book, That’s Life, was inspired by my niece’s reaction to being compelled to attend a performance of The Nutcracker with her family when she would have preferred to go to the mall with her friends. I’m currently working on a novel inspired by a story I heard from another participant in a writing workshop.

3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?

I write fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and I can’t say why I write what I write. The ideas just come to me.

4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

As I said before, I’m working on a fifth book, another novel. I’ve also put together a collection of short stories and several poetry collections that I hope to eventually publish. I don’t think about where I want my writing to take me. I just fly by the seat of my pants.

5. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?

I rarely have this problem, but when I do, I put aside whatever I’m working on and return to it later.

6. What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?

Write every day, even if it’s for fifteen minutes. Read, especially books in your genre. Get involved in local, state, and national writing groups. Most important, submit your work when you feel it’s ready, and don’t let rejection stop you.

7. Please, tell us about your work.

Besides the books I mentioned earlier, I’ve written many short stories, poems, and creative nonfiction pieces that have been published in various journals and anthologies. I have a blog which I update at least three days a week. I contribute twice-monthly posts to Writing Wranglers and Warriors at https://writingwranglersandwarriors.wordpress.com.

You were a guest on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ before, where we learned about writing in your life and your projects.

Let’s see what you can tell us today:

1. Are you still writing in the same genre as you did before, and if not, why did you switch – or would you ever think to change genres?

I am still writing travel adventure stories for middle grade readers and probably will for some time. I enjoy writing for this age group. Tweens are no longer little kids and not yet young adults. They are just discovering life outside their comfort zone and are eager to learn more. I like to think my books will broaden their horizons and spark an interest in traveling.

I have, however, written short stories – memoirs, about growing up on the Canadian prairies, and plan to publish them in a collection soon. It´s always good to try different genres to stretch your writing muscles.

2. Please, tell us a little about your writing process.

It´s not a terribly organized process and I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone but it works for me. I get an idea, usually based on a location, and start scribbling. Once I get the first draft of the first chapter completed, I create a mind map. This mind map is divided into chapters and a location is allotted to each chapter. Then I add characters to the chapters. I use different coloured gel pens to do this. I add ideas and action as I progress with the story. I am very much a panster writer. This is a living map and gets changed a lot. It gets very messy and colourful. No one could ever make sense out of it except me. It’s as messy and confusing as my mind. Once I’m finished writing the first draft, which I edit and share with critique partners as I proceed, I then review the complete story and do some rewrites before sending out to beta readers. After more rewrites based on the beta readers feedback, I send it to my publisher who does a thorough edit. After a few more changes and rewrites, it is ready for publication and I have the book memorized. There is probably an easier way to do this but I don´t know it!

3. What is important to know for young, new authors and writers?

There is no right or wrong way to write a book. You find a way, usually by trial and error, and then you make it right for you. You can spend way too much time worrying about doing it right. Just write it down and polish it later. There will always be edits and rewrites. (see above)

4. Your experience in the writing world, do you think it has already taken you where you wanted to go?

Yes and no. I am astonished to have six books published in the series and more to come. I also have a bilingual book published and short stories in anthologies. So I am pleased with my production, especially since I started writing seriously later in life. I am happy to have a following and some devoted Amanda fans. So in some ways I have exceeded where I wanted to go. I would however like to be better at marketing and have my books more well-read internationally. I’m the sort of person who always raises the bar so I don’t think I will ever be completely satisfied.

5. In your opinion, are you a writer or an author – and what is the difference for you?

I am both. I have heard that a writer is someone who writes (that’s me) and an author is someone who is published (that’s me too). Perhaps the difference is that an author is someone who is in the business of writing. To be somewhat successful, you need to look at it as a business.

6. Please, tell us about your projects again. Was there progress since the last interview or are there even completely new projects?

Since my last interview on Writer’s Treasure Chest, I have completed and published the sixth book in my Amanda Travels series, Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind. In this book, intrepid traveler Amanda is on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico where she visits many incredible sites including an ancient pueblo, a traditional hacienda and a haunted hotel. She learns about the wild and violent past of this rugged but beautiful landscape. Her classmate claims to see ghosts everywhere they go and Amanda can’t escape an eerie wind that follows her. This book is a bit spookier than the others but everyone seems to like it. One reviewer said it is fast-paced, spooky, and enough cultural reference to delight both readers and parents.

I am now working on book seven, Amanda in Holland-Missing in Action and have ideas for Amanda in Malta. Amanda has a more places to visit and interesting people to meet. If only she could mind her own business and keep out of trouble.

Thank you for being my guest once again. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!

Thank you so much for inviting me back to your wonderful blog!

Darlene’s bio:

Darlene Foster has dreamt of writing books, travelling the world and meeting interesting people for as long as she can remember. It’s no surprise that she’s now an award-winning author of the exciting Amanda Travels series featuring spunky Amanda Ross, a twelve-year-old Canadian girl who loves to travel. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another in unique destinations. Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Spanish Costa Blanca with her husband and entertaining dog, Dot. She believes it is never too late to make your dreams come true.

I took journalism in high school, which peeked my interest. I wrote my first book in 2009.

2. What motivates you to write?

I believe the written word can transport a person to a different time, place, and where dreams can come true. It brings the imagination alive experiencing diverse emotion.
I write contemporary and historical romance with a hint of suspense. I enjoy keeping the reader on edge wondering what’s next.

3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?

I write muit-genre’s. But lately, I started a Historical Romance Sage, “Ladies of Entrepreneurship.”
I grew up riding horses, even barrel raced when I was younger, and I love the western era.

4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

With my latest series, I hope to adhere to the want to be Business Woman and inspire them to follow their dreams.

5. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?

I do sometimes. When that happens, I set my book aside for a few days thinking and pondering on what I’ve written, then thoughts and scenario’s start again.

6. What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?

NEVER, NEVER give up. Read, study, and work your craft. Knowledge is something that is never ending.

7. Please, tell us about your work.

I have released the second book of, Ladies of Entrepreneurship, called Sadie’s Mustangs. (Third book out soon).
The Ladies of this saga are Proverbs Thirty-One women. They are women who are business orientated, strong-willed and determined to live the dream that God has placed inside of them. You can follow these women of free enterprise and see how their story unfolds as God secretly works behind the scenes fashioning love together, healing wounds and bringing dreams to life.
Each novel can be read as a standalone book or as a historical saga.

Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!

On The Story Reading Ape’s blog I found a very important and informative article, written by Emmanuel Nataf, CEO and founder of Reedsy. He writes and informs about legal copyright myths for us authors. I think we should never underestimate the problems myths and wrong information can do to us writers and our work. That’s why I re-blogged this. Thank you, Chris and Emmanuel.

By Emmanuel Nataf (Founder and CEO of Reedsy)

on Write To Done site:

Think you know what to do to protect your intellectual property?

Think again.

The Internet’s spawned more than a couple of myths about copyright, creating widespread misunderstanding of author rights.

As authors, we care about our ideas and characters — and we want to protect them outside of our pages. That’s when copyright laws step in.

Here are four questions about copyright to which you want to know the answers right now, so that they don’t trip you up, even after you’ve written “The End.” (A/N: the below information applies only to the U.S. copyright system.)

Ready?

What is poor man’s copyright?

Poor man’s copyright is the ghost that just will not go away.

To wit, the idea is this: instead of registering your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office, you can prove your copyright by mailing…

By Joanna Penn on How to Ebook site:

Storytelling has gone hand in hand with the audio format since our ancestors told each other stories around the campfire.

I can remember lying in bed listening to Peter and the Wolf on tape, and before I wrote fiction, I listened to audio fiction podcasts like Scott Sigler’s Infected and 7th Son by JC Hutchins, early pioneers of podcast fiction.

Nowadays, we have super-professional podcasts like Welcome to Nightvale, as well as audio-dramas and radio plays. In today’s article, Matthew McLean from ThePodcastHost, talks about why you should consider podcasting your fiction.

Why do you write fiction? What’s your ultimate goal?

Is it to get published, and see your book proudly displayed on bookstore shelves?

Or is it purely as an outlet for your creativity, and for the love of reaching people with your stories?